Hybomitra peculiaris (Szilády, 1914), Al-Dhafer et al., 2009

Al-Talafha, Hazem A. & Amr, Zuhair S., 2024, Tabanidae Fauna (Order: Diptera) of the Arab Countries in the Middle East, Ecologica Montenegrina 71, pp. 53-85 : 72

Hybomitra peculiaris (Szilády, 1914)

This species includes two varieties described by Szilády in two different articles: var. kroeberi from Turkestan ( Szilády 1926a) and var. kashmirianus from Kashmir ( Szilády 1926b). However, the differences between var. kashmirianus and peculiaris appear constant which probably raise it to a distinct species ( Chvála et al. 1972). Hybomitra peculiaris is distributed in Palearctic region: Afghanistan, Europe (known only from the most southeastern parts, from the region of the Volga River), Iran, and Mongolia ( Abbassian-Lintzen 1964). Moreover, the species is distributed in Oriental region: China and India ( Chvála 1988). In the Arab countries of the Middle East, it was collected from Iraq, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia ( Theodor 1965; Al-Dhafer et al. 2009; Alaa & Karim 2016).

Hybomitra peculiaris commonly inhabits the regions near salt lakes and along rivers of the desert zones ( Chvála 1972). Females attack man, domestic and wild animals including horses, horned cattle, camels, saigas and pelicans ( Alaa & Karim 2016). Al-Dhafer et al. (2009) indicated the ability of this species to transmit tularaemia that affect horses and camels.